Bar: Marlins’ Fernandez was there before fatal boat accident

Tears began streaming down Dee Gordon’s face as he rounded the bases after blasting a leadoff home run off Bartolo Colon in the bottom of the first inning of the Miami Marlins’ 7-3 win over the Mets Monday night at Marlins Park. He told me if I didn’t hear from him by 10 a.m. (Sunday) to call him and wake him up so he could get back to the ballpark on time for the game. Instead, Miami and the Marlins mourned the loss of the 24-year-old pitcher, whose talent and captivating personality were a combination unmatched in the sport. Stanton delivered an emotional speech as the entire team gathered at the mound moments before the game, then contributed a hit, a run and a running, lunging backhanded catch in right field to rob Jay Bruce.

The Marlins’ game Sunday against Atlanta was canceled, and when they took the field Monday for batting practice, Fernandez’s name and number hovered over the field on the huge video screen.

“Nobody’s going to wear it”. “I told the boys, ‘If you all don’t believe in God, you better start.’ For that to happen today, we had some help”.

“I was just trying to honor my friend, my teammate, my brother”, he told Cooper.

“We have a love for Jose, the way he played, his passion for the game, and his energy for it”.

He’s right. We were saved, I suppose, by our lack of resources and our lack of marketable talent.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took to the Senate floor Tuesday to honor the late Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez - a Cuban defector at the age of 15 who became an American citizen last year - as “the embodiment of the American Dream”.

At an emotional news conference Sunday, Fernandez’s death was described as a loss to baseball, the Miami community where he lived and beyond. The Mets found themselves in a hard position, having to play (and attempt to defeat) the Marlins while they are clearly mourning their friend and teammate.

Fans created a makeshift memorial for the pitcher at the Florida baseball stadium, leaving flowers and handwritten notes in his honor.

Authorities say they have no record of any previous citations for the boat owned by Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died with two friends when the boat crashed into rocks. The overturned boat was found just over an hour later, at 3:20 a.m.

Officials said Fernandez was killed as a result of the impact. Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero also died.

The investigation is being led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Ozuna, perhaps Fernandez’s closest friend on the team, said all of the players knew Fernandez planned to go out on the boat that night.